Whale Collisions Mean Speed Restrictions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a new regulation to protect North Atlantic right whales. Starting December 9, 2008, all vessels 65 feet (19.8m) or greater (subject to the jurisdiction of the United States) will be subject to a 10-knot speed restriction during certain times and locations, also known as Seasonal Management Areas (SMAs).

Right whales can collide with vessels which potentially results in serious injuries or death. On average, two of these mammals per year suffer from collision-related injuries. The current right whale population only ranges from 300 to 400. Additionally, vessels can be damaged or passengers may lose their footing or even be thrown from a boat during a collision.

All instances of significant vessel damage were reported from vessels traveling faster than 10 knots. Studies suggest that severe injuries to a whale can be decreased when vessel speed is 10 knots or less.

If it is necessary to deviate from the 10-knot speed restriction, the reason, speed, latitude and longitude of the area, and time and duration of the deviation, must be entered into the vessel’s logbook, which must be signed and dated by the vessel’s master.

Nautical charts, a compliance guide, and additional information is available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike

Undercover Anglers Nab Non-Compliant Captains

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has charged Viking Starship Inc. with illegal fishing.

State officers and federal agents posed as patrons aboard charter vessels operating in New Jersey and New York. During these undercover operations, two charter operators, Jerome E. Hurd of Avalon, New Jersey, and Steven N. Forsberg of Montauk, New York, caught striped bass in federal waters with patrons. Forsberg, the owner of the F/V Viking Starship, and Hurd were also charged with submitting false oral or written statements about the catch to authorized federal officers. Forsberg and Hurd were each issued potential fines, $30,000 and $25,000, respectively. For Forsberg, the NOAA mandated a 30-day permit suspension.

Possessing, fishing, and harvesting of Atlantic striped bass, a prized sport fish, is illegal in federal waters, which exist beyond a states’ three-mile offshore boundary. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission have been trying to manage the declining population of striped bass in state waters, and the government banned commercial fishing this valued fish species since 1990.

"A Hump Like a Snow-Hill!"

Melville would be proud. Researchers in Alaska have spotted the elusive “white whale” just two miles off the coast of Kanaga Volcano far out the Aleutian chain in the Bearing Sea. This one is not the sperm whale that Ahab sought, but instead, a nearly white Orca (true albinos rarely live long in the wild).

The NOAA researchers were conducting acoustic soundings off the coast when one of the crewmembers spotted the snowy creature that had evaded researches since it was first seen years before.

"I had heard about this whale, but we had never been able to find it," said Holly Fearnbach, one of the researchers. Reportedly, the NOAA boat tagged along with the pod of 12 whales for around 30 minutes as everyone aboard snapped photos.

And as a side note, for a list of memorable Melville quotes, click here. The site contains one of my favorites from the opening chapter of Moby Dick that anyone stuck with a case of cabin fever this winter and an urge to go boating can commiserate with; it is a little dark and melodramatic, but humorous as well:

“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.”